The Millennium Estoril Open starts this Saturday and a lot of news are showing up. The latest news is that David Ferrer received a wild card to play the ATP 250 category tournament. 

Player profile

David Ferrer is currently ranked 32nd on ATP and his highest ranking is the third spot. The Spaniard has as his career most precious moments the final of Roland Garros in 2013, the final of the ATP World Tour Finals in 2007, the title of the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris and the Davis Cup title in 2008, 2009 and 2011. He has a career win-loss record of 696-339 and a 2017 season win-loss record of 3-7. 12 of his 26 titles were won on clay courts.

(L-R) President of the International Tennis Federation Francesco Bitti Ricci, runner up David Ferrer of Spain, winner Rafael Nadal of Spain and Olympic champion Usain Bolt pose after the mens' singles final during day fifteen of the French Open at Roland Garros on June 9, 2013 in Paris, France. (Photo by Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
(L-R) President of the International Tennis Federation Francesco Bitti Ricci, runner up David Ferrer of Spain, winner Rafael Nadal of Spain and Olympic champion Usain Bolt pose after the mens' singles final during day fifteen of the French Open at Roland Garros on June 9, 2013 in Paris, France. (Photo by Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)

This season

This season has not been as good as David Ferrer got us used to. The Roland Garros finalist in 2013 won a total of three matches, all in hard courts. Since he played the Australian Open third round, he didn't win a match. The last match he played was against Kevin Anderson in Barcelona, where he fell in straight sets.

The tournament

Millennium Estoril Open is held in Estoril, Portugal, a beautiful city by the coast. This is just the third edition of the tournament that saw Richard Gasquet and Nicolas Almagro lifting the singles winner trophy in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The entry list for this year's edition will count with Nick Kyrgios, Pablo Carreno Busta, Juan Martin del Potro, Richard Gasquet and Albert Ramos Vinolas and more. With David Ferrer entering the player field, he will probably be the sixth seed.

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in his first round match against Michael Berrer at Millennium Estoril Open 2016 (Pedro Cunha/VAVEL)
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in his first round match against Michael Berrer at Millennium Estoril Open 2016 (Pedro Cunha/VAVEL)

The clay court experienced player lost in his first match in Barcelona and has not won a match on clay this season. With a lot of points to defend in the clay court season, he needs rhythm and that's probably why he appealed to a wild card.

The Millennium Estoril Open tournament director, João Zilhão, said in a press release on the tournament website: "David Ferrer is a historic player for the Spanish tennis and a player who got us used to give it all when stepping on the court. His combativeness is legendary as it is his quality - he won 26 titles on every surface, reached the final at Roland Garros and won the Davis Cup serving his country. We couldn't stay indifferent to his appeal, knowing that he is going to fight a lot and the Spanish audience is a usual presence at the tournament."

The current 32nd ranked on ATP is well looked by the others and the tournament director knows it: "David Ferrer is a reference in the male pro circuit and a well-respected player by his peers. It will be a very good addition to this year's edition."

Ferrer, to the website, has also pronounced himself about the tournament which has this year just its third edition: "I'm very happy to play at Estoril. They told me very positive things about this new tournament."

The Portuguese tournament qualifying starts on Saturday, 29th April.

Nicolas Almagro in action against João Sousa at the Millennium Estoril Open, on Thursday, 28th April 2016. (Pedro Cunha/VAVEL)
Nicolas Almagro in action against João Sousa at the Millennium Estoril Open 2016, on Thursday, 28th April 2016. (Pedro Cunha/VAVEL)
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